Aaaaand I have a confession to make:
Professor Umbridge is my favorite character.
No! Gosh no, not overall, noooo. Just in book five, Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix. But still, she has a favorite title. How is this possible? Umbridge? She's nasty! Sickly sweet enough to give you cavities! And, um, kinda sadistic! And I'm the first to admit I would absolutely, completely, and utterly hate her in real life.
So, how in the world can she be my favorite?
I'll tell you why: because every time she enters a scene, I know the story is about to pick up. Something exciting or infuriating or chilling is about to happen. And I'm going to feel something, a huge rush of anger and loathing and my hands will shake and I'll spin wild ideas about what I would do if I sat in her class and what I would say in the hallways and maybe just a bit what kick I'd drive right into her gut. (Kidding.) (Sort of.) (Violence is not the answer!) (In case you were wondering, totally a side kick.)
And that is why Umbridge is my favorite character.
Do you think that's kind of bizarre, having the antagonist be the favorite? In one of my WIPs, the antagonist is one of my favorite characters. I find this interesting and also kind of awesome, because many of my favorite stories have complicated, gray-area antagonists and even more complicated, gray-area relationships between the antagonist and protagonist. And if your antagonist can make people leap out of their seats and cry and go red in the face, I believe that antagonist is fully worthy of a favorite.
Kieryn
www.kierynnicolas.com
